


It's Just a Phone Call

by nickelmd



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 9x12: Sharp Teeth, Angst, M/M, Phone Calls, Pining, Pre-Slash, dawning realizations of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-02-02
Packaged: 2018-01-10 22:37:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1165407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickelmd/pseuds/nickelmd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas calls Sam. Dean wonders why Cas hasn't called him. Sam just throws his hands in the air.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Just a Phone Call

“Hey, Cas. What’s up?” Sam answers the phone abruptly, sounding unduly put out by Cas’ call. Cas is a little disappointed that he doesn’t get to use the phone etiquette and small talk he’s been working on.

“I wanted to check in. Did you find Garth?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did,” Sam replies, and then quietly, “but he’s the least of my problems.”

The angry tone of Sam’s whisper sends a jolt of worry through Cas, “Are you ok, Sam? Do you need me to join you?” 

“What? No. No, Cas. It’s just…” Sam sighs deeply, “Dean’s here. I found him in Garth’s hospital room. We’re working the case together”

Knowing Dean is with Sam makes Cas’ insides do strange new things. He knows he’s experiencing a kind of emotion, but the feeling is so new and foreign he’s not sure how to label it. “Dean is...there? Is he...how is he?” Cas clears his throat, “That is, I mean, how are you and he managing?”

On the other end of the line he hears Sam laugh, “Jesus Christ, you two are the stupidest.” The laugh goes on for a bit longer, while Cas wonders why Sam is calling them both stupid. He knows Sam is mad at Dean, understands it even, a little bit, but he thought that he and Sam were on better ground than they had ever been. “He’s fine Cas. He’s got some crazy-ass mark that he referred to as a ‘gift from Cain,’ but other than that he’s his same bull-headed, over-protective, shoot-first-ask-questions-later self.”

Dean is fine. He’s ok. He hasn’t managed to get himself killed yet. A deep bubble of relief wells up inside of Cas and he feels like he can breathe properly for the first time since Dean walked away from Sam on the bridge. His relief is short lived, though, as the rest of Sam’s words reach him. “A Mark? From Cain? Sam, what does this mark look like?” 

“I didn’t get a great look at it. Dean said it will help him kill Abaddon, but he didn’t really tell me how. Look, man, Dean’s coming, I gotta go. Keep me posted on Gadreel and Metatron.”

Cas hears the phone click before he can say goodbye. He holds the phone out skeptically. Sam usually makes an effort at politeness at least, and he’s been trying to teach Cas about these things. Cas contemplates, for the hundredth time, calling Dean.

**

“Who was on the phone?” Dean asks when he sees Sam putting the phone away. Sam considers lying, but then he thinks about Dean’s reaction to him mentioning Cas earlier and can’t really resist. If they’re both going to be idiots, he can at least amuse himself.

“It was Cas,” he says, opening the car door and starting to slide in. 

On the other side of the Impala, Dean stops. He sets his coffee carefully on the roof of the car. Sam looks over at him, sighs and stands back up, “What?”

“You called Cas?” Dean asks, both hands on his hips.

“No. Cas called me,” Sam replies, knowing this is gonna be good.

“Cas called you?” Dean repeats, looking at Sam like he might be lying, “No, huh, that’s great. Right. Cas called you. I mean, of course he did, right? I’m sure you’re all buddy buddy, since Cas ‘took care’ of you or whatever. Awesome.” Dean grabs his coffee and opens the car door roughly.

Once Dean’s thrown himself into the car, Sam can’t help mutter “Idiots” to the sky before he joins his brother.

**

It’s just, why hasn’t Cas called him? It’s not like Cas has ever really been a phone call kind of guy, but he also used to be able to pop in every now and again. And it isn’t like Dean isn’t used to having mostly one way conversations with him, but that was before Cas was just calling Sam, casual as you please, and chatting him up. It’s not that Dean’s jealous. I mean, he’s obviously not, because that wouldn’t even make any sense. Cas can call who he likes and Dean did leave, making it pretty clear he wanted to be alone. But, still, why hasn’t Cas called him?

**

Cas holds the phone in his hand. There’s no reason he couldn’t call Dean. Dean didn’t specifically ask him not to call. When Dean had left, though, it was clear he needed some space. Cas has been making an effort to respect that, but he’s starting to wonder if that continues to be strictly necessary. Sam is with Dean now, so perhaps that means Cas could reach out as well. He is worried about the mark Sam spoke of. It gives him a good reason to call. He’s sure it does. Although, it occurs to him, he might do best not to lead with that.

**

Sam starts to regret poking at the sore tooth that is Dean’s relationship with Cas after hour two of complete silence from Dean, mixed with the loudest fucking *thinking* he’s ever heard. Dean hasn’t spoken to Sam since he mentioned the phone call. He stares straight ahead, occasionally shifting in his seat noisily and switching hands on the steering wheel. He’s looked over to Sam a few times, like he wants to ask him something. “Dean…” 

“Don’t Sam. Just don’t,” Dean interrupts before Sam can even broach the subject. Fine, that’s what Dean wants? Whatever. Dean’s a big boy. He can deal, or in this case, not deal with whatever is going on with him and Cas any way he wants. It’s none of Sam’s business.

**

Dean knows it’s stupid to be this upset about a stupid phone call. Cas and Sam had been working together after all, and Dean was the one who left. He knows this, but he’s starting to get the sinking feeling he might actually be jealous. It’s not so much that he’s upset Cas called Sam to check on him. That part is actually pretty cool. It’s good to know Cas is looking out for Sam. No, it’s the not calling him part that he can’t stop wondering about. 

Dean’s done a lot of fucked up shit since he met Cas, but he’s never been able to drive him away. Well, there was that one time he did manage to get Cas mad enough to beat the crap out of him in the alley, but the apocalypse was a pretty stressful time for everyone involved. Somehow, he’s still always there when it matters. Even after Dean kicked him out of the bunker and told him they couldn’t work together, he came back when Dean needed him. The difference this time is that Dean hasn’t called. He hasn’t even prayed to Cas, because he was trying to do this on his own, trying to save Sam and Cas from the toxic mess that is Dean Winchester. So, yeah, Cas not calling is totally Dean’s fault and he knows it, but still…

**

After Cas has made the decision to call Dean, it still takes him eight hours to follow through on his plan. He doesn’t understand why his palms are sweating when he pulls the phone out of his pocket. It isn’t like this is the first time he’s called Dean on the phone. The mechanics of this situation have never felt problematic before. Dean didn’t even leave angry at Cas. The last significant amount of time they’d spent together had been, well, he can’t really describe kidnapping and torturing Sam’s body to eject a rogue angel good, but he and Dean were good. 

Being with Dean felt different than being apart. Being with Dean as a human had felt different still, but he hadn’t had much time to analyze that difference. The feeling he gets when he’s with Dean must have something to do with the fact that they’re good together, a good team. Of course, he and Sam are a good team, too, but after spending time alone with Sam, he’s come to realize that the feeling he gets from being with Sam is entirely different. It’s comfortable. It’s nice. But it’s not the same feeling of completeness he feels with Dean. It’s not a new feeling, but since his brief stint at being human, dwelling on it makes him feel awkward, and also, evidently, makes him sweat. 

**

Dean knows he’s not being subtle, sitting on the bed with his phone in his hand, but since that moment in the car, Sam hasn’t said anything about it. Dean’s been thinking about it all day. Things aren’t great with Sam, but he can’t deny he’s glad to be with him. It would be stupid, then, to pretend that he doesn’t miss Cas too. “I’ll be back in minute,” he tells Sam, standing up and walking to the door. Sam just looks up, his eyes resting for a fraction of a second on the phone in Dean’s hand, and nods. Dean can’t help the resigned sigh that slips out as he opens the door. Sam knows exactly what he’s going outside to do.

He slips into the Impala, leaning his head back against the seat. It’s no big deal. He’s just going to call Cas to...to what? He doesn’t even have a good excuse. He knows Cas is fine because of the call to Sam. He could say he’s calling to see what Cas knows about the Mark of Cain, but he’s not eager to get into that. No matter how he looks at it, he’s just calling Cas because he misses him. He’s definitely an idiot. 

An idiot whose phone is ringing.

**

It’s evening when Cas finally dials Dean’s number. He’s doesn’t know what he’ll say if Dean asks why he’s calling. He’s not sure, “I have an empty space that I’m not sure how to fill, but that I think involves you in some way,” would be a good opening statement unless he wants Dean to hang up on him immediately.

“Hey, Cas,” he hears Dean answer.

“Hello, Dean.” But Cas doesn’t know what else to say. He does know that he was right about that empty space. He feels different already. Hearing Dean’s voice allows something inside him to relax. He feels...lighter...than he has in weeks, but what he hears next provokes a feeling he definitely doesn’t know how to categorize. 

“I, uh, I was just getting ready to call you.”

“What? You were?” The words spill out before Cas can stop them. 

Dean laughs a little and it makes Cas’ stomach do a tiny flip, but Dean’s words set off a riot, “Yeah. I don’t know why. Everything’s fine. Sam’s good. Things are weird with Garth, but we’ve got it under control. I just, when Sam said you’d called, I just...I don’t know, man, I just wanted to talk to you. How are you doing?”

**

Dean can hear Cas breathing on the other end of the line, but he doesn’t answer right away, when he does respond it’s almost a whisper, “I miss you.” 

Dean blows out a puff of air, tension he didn’t know he was holding draining out of him, leaving him feeling quiet and still. 

“Yeah, Cas, I miss you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I really wrote this just because I was feeling bummed out that there was no contact between Sam and Cas or Dean and Cas. It is, maybe, a little boring, but it felt very comforting to write.


End file.
